I'm thinking of taking the test this summer, so I'm looking for any insight into what you think of your experience so far with the test-taking and such. How did you do on the test? Did you accept? Why or why not?

Axman: That, and have you played DX 10 games? It's like having your corneas swabbed with clits made out of morphine.Pathway: cocks cocks cocks

Not active, but I qualified on the California Test of Mental Maturity somewhere around '79 or '80.

I had scored in the 97th percentile on my SAT, and had people point out that it is "skewed," because it is predominantly taken by college-bound high-school graduates (I presume that the GMAT is even worse in that aspect), as opposed to a test taken by a broader sample.

The CTMM seemed a lot like the SAT, as far as test format. A lot of puzzles, problems, and pattern-matching. I'll admit that it seemed easy to me, but my favorite "definition" of intelligence is "the ability to do well on standardized tests."

Now that I've moved back into "the big city," I may rejoin. The meetings are a lot of fun.

I'm curious actually... does an IQ test administered by a psychologist that put my IQ well above the entry score allow me in without taking another test...? What if said test was done 11 years ago...?

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Toeofdoom wrote:I'm curious actually... does an IQ test administered by a psychologist that put my IQ well above the entry score allow me in without taking another test...? What if said test was done 11 years ago...?

Supposedly, IQ stays constant over your life. I'll not comment about if this is accurate, it's just a requirement for the definition of IQ.

Having screwed around with IQ tests on the internet, I could get in on a good day with some tests (where I hover around 130, which I do believe is the requirement to entry - I should note that the test on Mensa's website is in this category) and with some tests could get in easily (I've topped 160).

I've nothing else to contribute, however, as I've no desire to join the organization.

So, I like talking. So if you want to talk about something with me, feel free to send me a PM.

The actual score is not especially significant, since different tests have different scales. The point is more the percentile which the score represents. So organisations like Mensa have entry conditions along the lines of "applicant must be in xth percentile, which is anything exceeding 143 on the wossname test, 121 on the thingy test, 162 on the other test etc".

That's why people complain that they keep getting different scores. And it's why it's meaningless to say, "my IQ is 119" unless you also say which test you took. It makes more sense to say, "I'm in the 5th percentile" or whatever.

I don't see the point of high-IQ societies. Having intelligence in common with someone doesn't mean you'll have anything else in common, or even that they'll be good company generally. Plenty of dumb people are lovely and fun to hang around with, whilst plenty of smart people are dicks. I choose my friends based on how well I enjoy their company, and not on how smart they are.

It's true that IQ tests have a limited usefulness in testing intelligence, as there are so many aspects of intelligence. But I do know they're used as a diagnostic tool for certain psychological conditions. I took a Wechsler test when I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, not because they were interested in my score, but because the graph of the scores for each section of the test (there were a dozen or so) has a fairly characteristic shape in autistic people.

*edit* Oops, sorry if this post is slightly redundant/off-topic. I thought I was posting it in the other mensa thread where it would have been slightly more relevant. I tried to delete it from here, but it seems I can't do that now that a subsequent post has been made.

I will re-post a paraphrase of what I said in the "mensa bashing thread" I qualified for mensa, went to one meeting, felt they were not cut from the same cloth as myself (I prefer to work with my hands) and I never went back.

I took the test a couple of months ago and was admitted... I guess that makes me a douchebag I havn't gone to any meetings or anything, though.

I'm a wizard. We know these things.

In war, one should seek to take and hold the high ground. From there, the enemy's movements are clearly visible, and he will struggle just to reach you, let alone fight you. High orbit is the highest ground there is.

I took the wisc-IV test last year, partially so i could convince my school to put me in harder classes and partially to qualify for mensa. A score of 130 is needed to qualify and I scored a 129. I didnt like how they took writing dexterity into account in the wisc test the score for that part was 109 while other things like short term memory and mathematical proficiency (the part that tests your natural ability to think with numbers) were in the 150s. I want to take another exam to get in, but I cant find the time.

Ok, internet IQ tests are massively incorrect. They are designed to give everyone a good score. Try giving what you consider the wrong answer on every question. You get a positive result.

Also, It would be idiotic of mensa to accept tests from youth. What if you started drinking a liter of vodka a day at 14 and then went on to severe hard drug use. You show up at 30 as a half-dead human with genius scores from 4th grade....... I kinda doubt they would even open the front door.

I wasn't at all implying that "Well I did well on the internet tests, so I can get into Mensa!" type thing. I was just wondering about the question style; a lot of the internet tests are all "what's the next number in the sequence?" or "which object doesn't belong?" and other logic type problems. Are the Mensa tests the same?

Axman: That, and have you played DX 10 games? It's like having your corneas swabbed with clits made out of morphine.Pathway: cocks cocks cocks

What kinds of questions are asked on the Mensa test? I read in the other thread that it's not the same kinds of questions as the "internet IQ tests".

And will Mensa accept *really* old tests? Like... from grade 4 (which would be ~10 years ago for me)?

If you want to know what kinds of questions will be on the test, you can take a home test for "practice." (You order it from the American Mensa website.) They'll grade your home test so you know if it's worth taking the qualifying test. (I've got the home test sitting in an envelope on my desk right now, but haven't gotten around to taking it.)

I'm in a similar situation as you -- my last IQ test was probably done when I was about 10 years old, and while I know I scored high enough, I have no idea how to get my hands on the official scores. I'm pretty sure they will take old results, though. Check the official American Mensa website.

mathmagic wrote:I wasn't at all implying that "Well I did well on the internet tests, so I can get into Mensa!" type thing. I was just wondering about the question style; a lot of the internet tests are all "what's the next number in the sequence?" or "which object doesn't belong?" and other logic type problems. Are the Mensa tests the same?

It depends, really. The one I took was purely a figure reasoning test, no general knowledge required... Just fill in the correct 9'th box. Very much like this test.

I'm a wizard. We know these things.

In war, one should seek to take and hold the high ground. From there, the enemy's movements are clearly visible, and he will struggle just to reach you, let alone fight you. High orbit is the highest ground there is.

If they take ACT scors, I could probably get in with no problem (I got a 33 my junior year in HS), but probably wouldn't be interested.

Never heard of the wisc IV test. What exactly does writing dexterity judge? If it judges handwriting, I'd be doomed if I ever took that test. In middle school (at the time, we were required to write in cursive on anything that would be turned in for Language Arts) my teacher waived the rule for me because he couldn't read my chicken scratch. Hell, at times I couldn't read it myself. The rule was quickly tossed out altogether because everyone else decided if I didn't have to use cursive, they didn't either.

It doesn't help that I hold my pencils weirdly either. I have all my fingers stacked on one side of the pencil with my thimb on the other side. I've tried holding it the "correct" way, but my writing just gets worse.

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I was in Mensa for a year. I decided that, since I wasn't at all active in the group, the discounts on science magazine subscriptions, car rentals, and vague bragging rights were not worth the membership dues.

I've never been in Mensa, but one of my friends is and he gets a lot of friends/interesting conversation/fun days out of it. I went to weekend camps for smart (and often, but not necessarily, nerdy) kids when I was younger*, and I met some of my current best friends through that. I now regularly go on these camps as a supervisor and it's awesome to see everyone bouncing around and realizing that they can actually try their best and still lose a game from some of the other kids. Primary school / high school are not always nice environments if one doesn't fit in in any sort of way.

Qualified, payed one year's of dues, got the paper laminated card, all with the intentions of going to Mensa Mind Games. Then found out it was in Arizona and I was in New York. I might re-join for another Mind Games, or at least go to one AG event, but I've let it lapse since I'm still in college and moving around quite often.

I was psyched when I got in though. It's like being on a college football team, you discover that you actually are something in one talent on a national level. Narcissistic and egotistic and elitist? Probably. But it felt awesome. What I really want from it though is puzzles and games and such (probably going to the next MIT mystery hunt, want to do at least one BANG, have tried running my own minihunts but suffer from severe lack of participants, etc.)

People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'mUnless you drive a boatWell, I don'tI don't

Sorry for picking up an old thread, seemed like a better idea than starting a new one. I recently took the test FRT A for, among other thins like curiosity, applying to mensa. Now, I'm interested in hearing what other people thought about the test. Anyone else done it recently?

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